Senators turn back Raider challenge, 49-40

After posting its most impressive victory of the season two nights before, Mahar Regional School almost let one get away on Wednesday.

Fortunately, the Senators were able to parlay a balanced offense effort and some solid defense into a 49-40 independent boys’ basketball win over Hampshire Regional High School Wednesday night at the Grzesik-Bixby Complex in Orange.

Mahar head coach Chad Softic sensed that Hampshire wasn’t the only team on his team’s mind.

“We’ve got a tough Hopkins team coming in (Friday night),” he said. “I think we got caught looking ahead a little bit. We had a great win Monday but almost paid the price (Wednesday).”

Brendin Woodard finished with a team-high 11 points for the Senators, who improved to 9-3 overall and will look to clinch a postseason berth against Hopkins. Nick Slattery posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, Troix Adams threw in 9 points and Jake Paul contributed 7.

The Red Raiders’ Connor Cronin led all scorers with 16 points. Mitch Ouimette drained a trio of 3-balls.

“We had a very rough shooting night (18-for-58),” offered Softic. “We had really good looks but we were just awful. ... Credit Hampshire. They played great defense and made it difficult for us.”

Narragansett kept things close early, trailing by just a point at 10-9 after one quarter, but the Indians poured it on in the second and were never seriously challenged after that.

“We really stepped it up defensively in that second quarter,” said Turners Falls assistant coach Jay Liimatainen. “We played with some intensity that paid off for us.”

Leading 29-18 at the half, the Indians came out with the same intense pressure in the third, holding ’Gansett to just 12 points in each of the last two quarters, while the Indians put up 40 points of their own in the second half.

Turners returns to the hardwood tonight at 7:30, when it visits Hampshire League rival Athol High School.

Girls’ games

Mohawk 42, Greenfield 34 — Blaze Petko-Sands netted four treys en route to a game-high 15 points as Mohawk Trail Regional High School trimmed Greenfield High School, 42-34, in a Franklin County League South Division game Wednesday night at Nichols Gymnasium in Greenfield.

Hope Lively and Mikayla Hicks each added 7 points for the Warriors, who led 20-16 at halftime.

Kylee Monkiewicz and Erika Glabach each tossed in 8 points to lead the Green Wave, while Seaira Wolfe hit a pair of trifectas and Mirandah Coulombe had a team-high 11 rebounds. Eighth-grader Kirsten Ward made her varsity debut in the second half and grabbed five rebounds.

Caron scored 9 of her points on 3-balls, and Nicole Denver added 11 points for the Panthers.

Michelle Leh and Maddie Chmyzinski dropped in 8 points each for the Indians. Leh gathered in 14 boards for Turners, and Haleigh Bassett grabbed 11.

“The second quarter really hurt us, being outscored by 10, and we need to take better care of the ball,” said Indians head coach Ted Wilcox.“ We are doing a much better job on the boards lately, and hopefully that will translate into better overall results going forward.”